another eye opens

Andy and his high school girlfriend Holly, now a lesbian mom named Jamey, at Borderlands Bookstore

Andy and Jamey with her wife Carol on Balmy Alley

Andy and I flew out to California to attend the memorial service for his Uncle Bill, who died of a heart attack in December at age 70.

He lived in a house on a hill back in the woods near Pescadero, drove a school bus, had lots of girlfriends but never married, attended healing circles and loved the poetry of Rumi. He sounds like a character I really wish I'd gotten to meet.

This was an occasion for me to meet Andy's extended family, including his father Dave (bottom row, far right). Clockwise from there: Dave's wife Beth (Andy's stepmom), Andy's cousin Erika and her kids Karolina and Peter, Beth's son John, Andy, Erika's mom Laurene, Andy's sister Becky, Erika's dad George, her husband Martin, and his mom Jana.

We all stayed in a big house half a block from the beach in Half Moon Bay. What a luxury to walk on the beach in January!

It was Andy's first glimpse of Karolina, who's nine weeks old.

Uncle Bill was known for his far-out gifts, such as the tie Andy wore to his memorial service in Pescadero.

The next day we scattered Bill's ashes among the redwoods on his property.

The atrium that serves as MOMA's town square currently hosts Croatian feminist artist Sanja Ivekovic's witty sculpture "Lady Rosa of Luxembourg"

The sculpture of a gold-plated pregnant woman responds to an idealized monument to female strength in Zagreb -- around the base, Ivekovic provocatively juxtaposes the legends KITSCH, KULTUR, KAPITAL, KUNST with WHORE, BITCH, MADONNA, VIRGIN.

In the Contemporary Galleries, an array of artworks caught my eye, starting with this one.

Andrea Zittel's wallpaper (above) serves as a mesmerizing backdrop for her geometric workd "Sprawl 1" (below)

Part of the gallery contains a skeletal cafe in which pots of curry and jasmine rice are prepared and served to museumgoers -- the whimsical work of Argentinean artist Rirkrit Tiravanija.

A recreation of a 1992 show at a Soho gallery, this installation is also a sly performance by the charming gender-queer docent who provides historical background and disarming conceptual collaboration.

More conceptual art involving eating: Felix Gonzalez-Torres' 1991 "Untitled" (Placebo)

As I knelt and helped myself to a piece of candy, I suddenly found myself in tears, remembering all the sweet friends who died of AIDS.